Elderflower Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

• 1 oz dried elderflowers
• 11 oz can frozen white grape juice concentrate
• 1-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp acid blend
• 1/8 tsp grape tannin
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 6 pts water
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 pkt Hock, Sauterne or Champagne wine yeast

Thaw out grape juice concentrate and then put water on to boil. While water rises to a boil, examine flowers and remove any foreign matter and wash them to remove dust. Put flowers, sugar and grape juice concentrate in primary and pour boiling water over them. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover with sterile cloth, and set aside several hours until cool. Add acid blend, tannin, crushed Campden and yeast nutrient, stirring briefly. Recover and set aside for at least 12 hours. Add yeast. Ferment six days, strain off flowers, transfer liquid to secondary, and fit airlock. Rack when specific gravity is at 1.005, top up and refit airlock. After wine clears, wait 30-45 days and then rack again, top up and refit airlock. Wait additional three months, stabilize, sweeten to taste, wait ten days, and rack into bottles. Age six months before tasting. [Author’s own recipe]

• 1-1/2 pt fresh elderflowers
• 2 lbs granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp acid blend
• 1 crushed Campden tablets
• 7 pts water
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• wine yeast

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, separate flowers from stalks and wash to remove insects and road dust. Put flowers and sugar in primary and pour boiling water over them. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover with sterile cloth, and set aside several hours until cool. Add acid blend, crushed Campden and yeast nutrient, stirring briefly. Recover and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast. Ferment six days, strain off flowers, pour liquor into secondary, and fit airlock. Rack when specific gravity is at 1.005, top up and refit airlock. After additional three months, stabilize, sweeten to taste, wait ten days, and rack into bottles. Age six months before tasting. [Adapted from Steven A. Krause’s Wines from the Wild ]

• 1 pt fresh elderflowers
• 12 oz can frozen white grape juice concentrate
• 2 lbs granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp acid blend
• 1 crushed Campden tablets
• 6-1/2 pts water
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• wine yeast

Thaw out grape juice concentrate and then put water on to boil. While water rises to a boil, separate flowers from stalks and wash to remove insects and road dust. Put flowers, sugar and grape juice concentrate in primary and pour boiling water over them. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover with sterile cloth, and set aside several hours until cool. Add acid blend, crushed Campden and yeast nutrient, stirring briefly. Recover and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast. Ferment six days, strain off flowers, pour liquor into secondary, and fit airlock. Rack when specific gravity is at 1.005, top up and refit airlock. After additional three months, stabilize, sweeten to taste, wait ten days, and rack into bottles. Age six months before tasting.
[Author’s own recipe]